Fulham are confident they will have reached agreement with Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk over the signing of the Ghana international Derek Boateng by the time his participation at the Africa Cup of Nations draws to a close.

Martin Jol's interest in the 29-year-old is long established, with the Fulham manager having come close to securing the defensive midfielder on loan last summer. Boateng has already undergone a medical at Fulham, who have secured a work permit for him, and talks between the clubs are ongoing.

A fee of about £2m has been mooted to sign a player who cost more than double that when joining Dnipro from Getafe back in 2011, but has since fallen out of favour and has made only two league starts in the first half of the season.

Boateng, who had enjoyed spells in Greece, Sweden, Israel and Spain before moving to Ukraine, is currently in Abu Dhabi with the Ghana squad preparing for the tournament in South Africa – they will depart for the finals on 16 January.

It remains to be seen whether Jol will also pursue his interest in Tottenham Hotspur's Tom Huddlestone as he seeks to secure significant reinforcements in the midwinter window after the team's recent inconsistent form.

The Turkey goalkeeper Sinan Bolat, who had been training with the Cottagers, has returned to Standard Liège but Jol is still mulling over whether to sign him. Bolat, who won three caps for his national side in 2011-12, is seeking to re-establish himself after suffering a cruciate ligament injury but he is not expected to win his first team place back at Liège.